Deeper Well
Emmylou Harris Lyrics

The sun burned hot, it burned my eyes
The heat was so intense that it was causing discomfort to the eyes

Burned so hot I thought I'd died
The intensity of heat was such that it made me feel like I was dying

Thought I'd died and gone to Hell
The heat was so unbearable that it made me feel like I had been transported to Hell

Lookin' for the water from a deeper well
Searching for something more profound and fundamental to quench my thirst

I went to the river but the river was dry
I looked for answers in conventional sources but found them to be unfruitful

I fell to my knees, and I looked to the sky
In a moment of desperation, I sought help from a higher power

I looked to the sky, and the spring rain fell
My prayers were answered when I received unexpected help

I saw the water from a deeper well
I found something more meaningful and fundamental to satisfy my craving

Well, lookin' for the water from a deeper well
Continuing to search for answers and fulfillment that goes beyond the surface level

I was ready for love, I was ready for the money
I was eager to experience the good things in life

Ready for the blood and ready for the honey
I was open to both pleasurable and painful experiences

Ready for the winnin', ready for the bell
I was prepared to emerge victoriously in any endeavor

Lookin' for the water from a deeper well
Seeking something more substantial and long-lasting

I found some love and I found some money
I experienced some forms of gratification but they were not enough

Found that blood would drip from the honey
Even pleasures could not escape the reality of pain and suffering

Found I had a thirst that I could not quell
Realized that I needed something more profound to satisfy my thirst

Well, lookin' for the water from a deeper well
Continuing the search for a more profound source of satisfaction

I did it for kicks and I did it for faith
I sought experience for both pleasure and belief

I did it for lust and I did it for hate
I sought experience for both desire and anger

I did it for need and I did it for love
I sought experience for both necessity and affection

Addiction stayed on tight like a glove
I became enslaved to the patterns of my search

So I ran with the moon and I ran with the night
I continued to pursue my search with wild abandon

And the three of us were a terrible sight
The combination of my search, my addiction, and my surroundings created a destructive force

Nipple to the bottle, to the gun, to the cell
My search led me down a path of addiction, violence, and imprisonment

To the bottom of a hole of a deeper well
The culmination of my search led me to a dark and hopeless place

I rocked with the cradle and I rolled with the rage
I experienced both love and anger in my search

I shook those walls and I rattled that gage
I caused destruction and rebellion wherever I went

I took my trouble down a dead-end trail
I pursued my search with reckless abandon, without any regard for consequences

Reachin' out a hand for a holier grail
Desperately seeking a more profound and spiritual source of fulfillment

Hey there, mama, did you carry that load?
Asking a maternal figure if she had faced similar struggles

Did you tell your baby 'bout the bend in the road
Wondering if the maternal figure had taught lessons about navigating difficult circumstances

'Bout the rebel yell, 'bout the one that fell?
Wondering if the maternal figure had experienced rebellion and failure in her life

Lookin' for the water from a deeper well...
Continuing the search for a more profound source of fulfillment